RAM adequacy will depends on the language(s) and their toolchain, but coming from windows i don't foresee a CLI-inclined dev.And/Or get a second-hand ThinkPad that doesn't have soldered RAM.
That’s what companies care for, that cannot afford a full IT employee or even department.
I doubt those companies can afford paid support from the likes of Cannonical and Red Hat - their licenses are solely for other at-scale companies to write off expenses and shift blame if something hits the fan.
My concern is the likelyhood that companies using MS products will cut corners by using deprecated/unsupported OSs for years after the last security patch, which will lead to security breaches for many consumers.
Venezuela has quite a lot of it, but needs refinement and the US insists "they're communists" – maybe now people will try to use critical thinking and reliable sources to figure out why Latin America is a shambles but I doubt it.
Linux Mint is one of the most recommended for newbies.You can use a live CD/USB to try it out without installing.